Fox Renews Space Dramedy ‘The Orville’

Fox has renewed Seth MacFarlane’s space series The Orville for a second season. The Orville, an hour-long drama with a comedic bent, is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

“Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “He has delivered a series full of optimism, drama and his trademark humor. We want to thank him and the rest of the talented cast, as well as the producers and crew, for an incredible first season. We can’t wait to see where The Orville travels in the second.”

The Orville was Fox’s most watched and highest rated premiere since Empire in 2015, said Fox, with more than 14 million viewers across platforms. The show is averaging a 2.5 rating in live plus seven day, said Fox.

The series was created and written by MacFarlane. He, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Liz Heldens are executive producers. Jon Favreau directed the Orville premiere.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.